Thermionic tube socket



Sept.'8, 1942. H. H. EBY 2,294,896

THERMIONIC TUBE SOCKET Original Filed June 16,- 1937 INVENTOR BY HUGH H.[BY

I ATTORNEZQ Patented Sept. 8, 1942 Hugh H. Eby, Jenkintown, assignments,to Penn;

Corp.

Original application June Divided and this application Decem- Pa.,assignor, by mesne 3 Electric Development 16, 1937, Serial No.

ber 18, 1940, Serial No. 370,640

' 2 Claims. (01. 173 339) This application is a division of myapplication filed June 16, 1937, Serial No. 148,546, now

Patent No. 2,259,157, issued October 14, 1941.

This invention relates to thermonic tube sockets, and particularly toreceptacles for radio tubes.

The general theoretical requirements for such I devices are well knownand include uniform'and low contact resistance, uniform and tight prongengagement, strength, attractiveness of appearance, as an attribute ofsales appeal at least,

even if mechanically of small moment, and extreme economy in productioncost. This latter manifests itself in susceptibility to mass production,in the reduction in amount and expense of material used, and, ofprobably greatest moment, in reduced labor costs. Other advantageousattributes include easy and cheap installation, susceptibility of thereceptacle to changed contact relation, ease. of attachment of theconnectors, etc.

It is among the objects of this inventionftosecure each one of theforegoing advantages in socket receptacles; to provide a radio socketreceiving housing, for mounting the sockets on a panel, of novelty andhigh utilitypto provide a socket housing in which either a laminated ormolded socket receptacle is interchangeably mountable; to improve moldedsockets; to improve laminated sockets; to improve contacts forreceptacles; to provide a metal stamping in which parts have a snap orpush fit to assemble a complete socket without eyeletting or rivetingand with a minimum of labor; to improve radio socket contacts; toprovide improvements on my earlier filed applications Ser. Nos. 25,369matured into Patent #2,'127,556 August 23, 1938, and 25,055 matured intoPatent No. 2,196,697 April 9, 1940; to provide a radio tube socket andmounting plateso arranged that after positioning the plate on a chassisthe socket can be removed,

either in whole or in part, to rotate it for varia tion of indexing; andmany other objects and advantages as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a metal stamping isproviding as the mounting support for the socket, within which asocketing ear portions.

partially in elevation of Fig. 4-represents a fragmentary sectionthrough the pan of the assembly of'Fig. 3'showing the integral eyeletformed therewith, 7 1

' Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary plan of a modified form of pan, havingintegral panel mounting anchoring means,

Figs. 6 and 7 represent fragmentary sections the fastening means of Fig.5, in two stages of anchoring,

,Fig. 8 represents a mounting assembly, Y M

Fig. 9 represents a further modified form of mounting. r

An important factor in the invention is the facilitation of under ing,and some preliminary consideration may be given to this part of thedevelopment. The panel of .a radio receiving chassis, of suitablematerial,

is provided with an aperture-usually circular, within which the socketreceptacleis to be disposed. An annular opening oval, square, or anyother desired contour may be provided, according to the particulardemands. The radio socket receptacle is to be mounted either directly inthe aperture, supported by the edges of the panel surrounding theaperture, as will later be discussed, or by means of a subsurfacesupport will be mounted on the panel in alignment with the aperture.

forming animportant part of this in "ention comprises a metal stampingor socket mounting, having an upper substantially plane face; merginginto a substantially cylindrical wall; The short flange surrounding theannular 'aperture merges into the cylindrical wall, and completes thestamping. Obviously the sizes and shapes of the various parts justrecited will be changed in'accordance with conditions and demands. Undercertain conditions, for instance, the flange will be extended to form asubstantially closed lower floor within which the radio tube receptaclewill.

be disposed, depending upon side wall, among other things, away to formmere supporting legs in place of the complete flange shown. modifiedflanges will be discussed later herein. The elemental complete flange"which is sometimes preferred is shown. The upper, surface preferably hastwo diametrically opposed secur- The stamping, cage, mounting support,or pan, is preferably formed of resilient sheet metal, although moldedmetal or insulating materials may be used. The mountthe height of the.ing support or supporting .frame-is obviously a cheap and relativelyinexpensive item, using a minimum of material and labor. in itsproduction.

It being desired to mount radio socket recep tacles within thesupporting pan easily and modified form of pan panel or overpan'el-mountis not necessary as The preferred form of sub-surfacesupport;

or it may be cut Various forms of -.or whether itcomprises two elementsincluding the type normally called ternatively proposed,

. ceive the extremity anchor the whole in the pan.

cheaply, it is'desired to provide some means for facilitating the entryof the sockets, while acting to anchor the parts securely againstundesired withdrawal after positioning. While it will be evident that ifdesired suitably independent fastening means, such as screws, bolts andthe like may be resorted to in securing the broader advantages of thepan supstaples, eyelets,

port, yet this is not preferred, and it is preferred to so form the panthat automatic locking assembly follows the mere associationof the elefments.

It will be recognized-that in its broader aspects it makes no particulardifierence what sort of radio socket is associated with the metalstamping or mounting frame, whether molded as described, or molded inpart and laminated inlpart,

"laminated."

The utilization of portions of the flange of the pan for indexingpurposes is carried further forinsulating sheets of Thus, in theformation of the stamping the metal =of the attaching ear 2 I! of thepan, or other supporting element, is drawn to form the integral more orless elongated cylindrical stud or eyelet 2|3 capable of passing throughthe eyelet aperture in the chassis panel II). It is frequently desirableto efiect a sub-assembly mounting in which, the socket is mounted in thepanel temporarily so as to be available for eventual ane choring byeyeletting operations. This integral securing element just describedfacilitates this,

t given an initial either by providing a resilient bulge or the like tothe cylinder so as to secure frictional mounting and engagement in thepanel aperture, or by'the modification shown in Fig. 8. In this form ofthe invention. the attaching ear M2 carrying the integral attachingcylinder 2|! is p out of the plane ofv the socket, in either directionbut'preferablyupflare or bend wardly. The subassembly mounting requirespressure on the socket to bend the attaching ear to a position ofsubstantial planarity, or at'least ward in the disclosure of Figs. 1, 2,etc. The pan I05 has the flange more or less elongated tongues l91 bentupward; ly to substantial parallelism with the vertical wall 198 of thepan,'and of which .there are at least I96 to which is attached the one,and preferably a pair,'dis posed diametrically opposite toea'ch other.The locking ears 200 of the construction previously described, or comprised of any of the resilient locking devices alare formed in the panin position to engage thesocket to be described.

The lower plate of the socket has the enlarged central guideaperture202, so large as to be out of contact radio tube to be inserted,and the plurality of the contact apertures 203 disposed in a concentriccircle about the guide aperture. Th plate 2M has a'plurality,preferably, of recesses 204 in its periphery," and is of proper size andshape to fit in the pan I95 with the upstandingstuds or tongues I31disposed in selected recesses 204.

The upper molded plate 205 include the anchoring recesses I85. 0n thelower surface of the plate there may be formed shallow ribs or-radialbarriers between contact apertures 203. The lower surface is alsoprovided with a plurality of wells or perpendicular apertures 206 andextending deep enough into theupper plate to reof the upstanding lug onthe flange. I The mode of assembly of the socket and stamping supportincludes the mounting of the f contacts in either plate, the associationof the other plate therewith whole, or successive parts,

' ever, in the interest of economy, and the facilitation of mounting ofthe sockets on the chassis,

and especially to facilitate sub-assembly mount- 4 ing, any of the metalstampings shown may be modified in accordance with the disclosure ofFigs. 2, etc., to provide integral attaching means.

the flange indexing both plates and preventing relative rotative mountilthe integral cylinder mounted thereon is straightened out sufflcientlyas to alignwith the aperture in the panel III to permit entry therein.

Release permits the resilience of the attaching ears to assert itself tospring out of the plane of the socket to a degree such as to insure agood frictional engagement laterally between th insocket in place untillng step of upsetting or turning over the end of the eyelet on the otherin Fig; 3.

with the guide stud onthe tegral stub eyelet or cylinder, which willhold the the final complete anchorside of the panel as shown Amodification of this feature is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. In this formthe metal is not drawn to form the cylinder of at opposite ends ofa'slot or opening 6 in the attaching ear 2H. Either or both tongues maybe given a curvature or re- 'silient bulge II! which serves a dualpurpose by guiding the tongue throughthe panel opening and engagingfrictionally the surface; of the panel the bend so that upsettingor-punching causes the.

adjacent to the opening 9, and also serves to start tongue to bend uponitself, as shown at 220, to

; anchor ,the socket.

I claim:

1. A radio tube socket supporting element comprising an-integral metalstamping having va substantially planar socket securing portion,

a pair of integral resilient ears initially bent out of the plane of theportions, integral extensions on said ears normally of to enterapertures in a mounting panel when the tures under spring pressurereleased. t V

2. A radio tube socket supporting element substantially planar pair ofintegral resilient ears initiallybent out ears are bent to alignmentwith the securing frictionally in such aperwhenthe ears are portions andto bear comprising an integral metal stamping'having a socket securingportion, a

of the plane of the portions, integral open; ended cylindricalextensions on said ears normally of the ears and arranged to enterapertures in a mounting panel when the ears are bent t alignment withthe securing portions and'to bear frictionally in such apertures underspring pressure when the ears are released.

HUGH H. EBY.

Fig. 2, but is struck out in the form of a pair of spaced tongues 2 l4and 2|! extending vertically the ears and arranged.

